Buckeyes Hold the Line, Get No. 24 in a Classic

ANN ARBOR, Mich. – Woody Hayes made the two-point conversion famous in 1961 when he poured it on Michigan, uttering the phrase, “Because I couldn’t go for three,” as his reason for running up the score. On Saturday afternoon in Michigan Stadium, another two-point conversion was added to the lore of one of college football’s most storied rivalries.

The Wolverines scored a touchdown with 32 seconds left to pull within one point of the Buckeyes before electing to go for two and the win. In the end, an observant Ohio State assistant coach snuffed out the play call and cornerback Tyvis Powell broke up the would-be game-winning pass to preserve the Buckeyes’ second consecutive perfect regular season and keep their national championship hopes afloat. The 42-41 final score provided arguably the greatest chapter ever in the 110-game series.

“We played the game to win,” Michigan head coach Brady Hoke said. When the Wolverines scored, Hoke gathered the seniors and asked if they wanted to go for the win. He received a unanimous decision.

On the opposite sideline, cornerbacks coach Kerry Coombs told the defense what Michigan intended to do. Third-ranked Ohio State had prepared for the Wolverines’ two-point play all week. Powell called it their bread-and-butter.

“Boom, there it is. Coach Coombs is a genius,” Powell said, smile adorned to his face for the entirety of his seven-minute interview.

What transpired during the previous 50 minutes, 28 seconds was nothing short of an instant classic, complete with an amateur boxing match. All that was missing was a three-ring circus.

High-flying offenses, listless defenses and scoreboards that mimic basketball games are generally reserved for weeknights and the Mid-American Conference. MACtion has become a national pehnomena. But that style isn’t expected in one of college football’s greatest rivalries.

Woody and Bo oozed defense. The same can be said for their successors, even those that are offensive-minded. Ohio State and Michigan, the Big Ten, Midwestern football – it’s all built on defense. So when the Buckeyes and Wolverines combined for 42 first-half points and more than 600 total yards, there’s a reason many of the 113,511 people inside the Big House were aghast.

“I think Coach Schembechler and Coach Hayes would’ve looked out and seen two teams playing as hard as they possibly could, which is what this rivalry is all about,” Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer said.

And there wasn’t much let up once each team regrouped and addressed their defensive concerns. Ohio State churned out 526 total yards – 393 on the ground – while Michigan gained 603 yards, the second-most output the Buckeyes have ever allowed. In all, the game featured 1,129 yards of offense, four ties and two lead changes.

“We had a hard time stopping them,” Hoke said.

The Wolverines entered the game under fire from the fanbase. They were in the midst of a forgettable November that included 49 points until Saturday. The onus was on Gardner. He finished with negative yards rushing in consecutive games to begin the month, was averaging 182.5 yards passing per game and had a game-ending fumble last week at Iowa.

In a losing effort against the Ohio State, Gardner played one of the finest games of his career, completing 32-of-45 pass attempts for 451 yards and four touchdowns and also ran for a score. In the first half alone, Gardner led three scoring drives over 70 yards, including just the sixth 99-yarder in Michigan history.

“Gardner is an excellent thrower,” Meyer said. “I’m not quite sure I saw the same thing from the past few games when he struggled. He looked like he did against Indiana.

“We didn't get the normal pressure that we have. We’ve got to fix some things.”

But Michigan’s defense found similar difficulties containing Braxton Miller and Carlos Hyde. The duo combined for 379 yards – 226 belonging to Hyde. His total was the most by an Ohio State player in the Michigan game.

When the Wolverines tied the game at 35 with 5:01 remaining in the game, the Buckeyes didn’t flinch. They knew the most direct to the end zone was through Hyde. A kick out of bounds was the first benefit Ohio State got on the drive. Then Miller broke free for 32 yards on the first play. The Buckeyes would travel six plays in 65 yards with little resistance to take the lead. Every play was a run with four carries, 21 yards and a touchdown going to Hyde.

Hyde finished with 226 yards rushing and a touchdown. Miller was only 6 of 15 throwing for 133 yards and an interception, but he did toss two touchdowns, and he ran for 153 yards and three scores. That includes three sacks.

“I felt like our line was going to go win that game for us, our line and backs. We ran the ball very well,” Meyer said. “Carlos Hyde – he’s as good a back as I’ve been around.”

Not many expected Michigan to win, let alone be close. Ohio State was favored by 16 points and cruising after winning the previous 23 games. A throwback to the Rich Rodriguez era was predicted. However, 1969, 1993, 1995 and 1996 nearly morphed into 2013. It became clear very early that Saturday’s contest would be a throw-out-the-records rivalry game.

“I knew it was going to be tough,” Hyde said. “I would have been surprised if it was easy. This game is always tough. It’s the biggest rivalry in college football, of course it’s going to be tough.”

On the Wolverines’ third play of the game, Gardner and wide receiver Jeremy Gallon connected for an 84-yard pass play, which is Michigan’s longest play from scrimmage against Ohio State. The Buckeyes countered with two 53-yard touchdowns – one a pass to Devin Smith, the other a run by Miller. At halftime, the teams were knotted at 21.

The highlight – or lowlight – of the first half came less than a minute into the secon quarter when a melee broke out. Players from both teams were involved in a fracas that lasted about a minute before officials finally gained control. Ohio State’s Marcus Hall and Dontre Wilson and Michigan linebacker Royce Jenkins-Stone were ejected. Hall made matters worse when he spiked his helmet and flipped off the fans as he walked to the tunnel.

“It was unacceptable,” Meyer said. “Disappointed.”

Scott Chipman, the Big Ten commissioner for communications, said the conference will wait to see the officials’ written report and view game footage to decide if any further punishment for this week’s Big Ten Championship Game needs to be administered.

It appeared adjustments were made in the Buckeye locker room based on the Wolverines’ scoreless third quarter. Meanwhile, the Ohio State offense was continuing its assault on the scoreboard to take a 35-21 lead. During that spurt, Hoke opted to go for it on 4th and 2 from inside the red zone instead of kicking a field goal. First-string kicker Brendan Gibbons was out with an undisclosed injury. A two-touchdown deficit didn’t deter Michigan, though.

First came an 11-play, 83-yard drive that culminated in an 11-yard touchdown pass to Drew Dileo. After Hyde fumbled and Michigan recovered on the short side of the 50, the Wolverines needed 13 plays to traverse 41 yards and tie the game with just more than five minutes left. Following the Buckeyes’ six-play go-ahead scoring drive, the Michigan offense went 84 yards in 11 plays before Hoke took the ultimate gamble.

“I would have done the same thing,” Meyer said. “You go win the game there. No question. Both offenses were kind of in unstoppable mode.”

Said Gardner: “I threw an interception that cost us the win. That’s what I will remember.”

I'm beginning to think we don't deserve to play for the crystal ball. I realize this is "The Game" but were a lot better than these fools from up north. I have been promoting all year as long as we keep winning we deserve it. I'm not convinced at the end of "The Game" that our defense is ready to compete with the big boys. SMH at how you can give up over 500 yards to the fools from up north..

I was going to post the same. If Bama or Florida State lose, we do, but not unless they lose. The winning streak isn't a compelling argument when the defense plays that bad against a very bad _ichigan offense.
I've been a supporter of Fickle the whole year. I trust whatever Urban decides is right, but as a fan my opinion is encourage Luke to get a head coaching job, and send Coombs back to Cinci. This is not a silver bullet defense.

If the other team played that way all year that they did in this game it would have been two undefeated's. Remember this is also was an away game and they were trying to salvage their season. We still have the championship game to worry about. Lots of reasons why it was close, who knows.

But I will say that at least this post, as opposed to the last 30 from the live blog which occurred suring the second half, actually indicated that you weren't convinced at the end of the game rather than halfway through. Kudos.
Yes, we gave up over 600 yds. Yes, the defense struggled (to be polite). But we are undefeated. I'm happy with life. Let's see what happens next weekend and go from there.

Does any part of you think that was a "good" game? We won and my heart has stopped racing, but what a joke. Have some pride, Buckeyes play defense. This Fickell version of the Silver Bullets is a complete joke. Devin Gardner can't run and threw for career yardage against us. Im very happy we won, but we are one damn lucky play away from losing to a TERRIBLE Michigan team.

I can't explain why shit happens. It just does. How could a team like that lose to a team we beat 63-14? You explain for me please. How did a Notre Dame team lose to UM and how did MSU lose to ND? For some reason there is more to it than simple Xs andOs. Pride? And so it's all of a sudden luck, when our defense comes up big?? You sound like Mark May.

Firm, do you see any consistency in our defensive play at all??? One week it looks like we're making progress the next we get smoked for 600 yards, SIX HUNDRED YARDS. This is NOT an OSU defense. Tressel NEVER had a D this porous, we also didn't have the talent that we now have. You tell me what the problem is, I don't think it's the talent...

This is not a Tressel-coached team so the defense isn't the same. Our talent in the past was as good as this, though.
It seems like the issue has been the linebacker play which opens the middle of the field. Grant and Perry were slow to learn and/or injured during the year.
This game was an issue because Gardner killed us...just like mobile QBs kill many teams. And we couldn't then get off the field and got gassed.
D was crappy but I still would like to take on any other team in the country. If we get through the MSU game, then there will be plenty of time to wring our hands and worry.

And you sound like a moron thinking our defense is not a train wreck giving up the second most yards in Ohio State football history. Devin Gardner was running around on one leg throwing for career yardage. Give me a break. Be an intelligent fan. Sometimes i forget we have some of the smartest fans in college football, then we have the other "half."

It's got nothing to do with deserve. Never has.
You win and you politic and you run up scores, you hope, you scratch and claw. If you're lucky enough to get there then all you have to do is win one game and the crystal ball is yours.
Alabama didn't deserve to be in the championship game the year they didn't even when their division, but they were. You see them giving the trophy back?
stop worrying about deserve. Fight to get in, then win one game.

Can I just say something...especially for those in the live blog?
"I'm beginning to think we don't deserve to play for the crystal ball. I realize this is "The Game" but were a lot better than these fools from up north. I have been promoting all year as long as we keep winning we deserve it. I'm not convinced half way through this game."
Meme this!

So true- After 3 teams show Fickel the blueprint to stop Mi, he uses none of it and fails to blitz Gardner. The problem is the blitzes are not well thought out. Also, noone knows how to cover anyone. Guys wide open every play. Lot of times feels like they have been told to play off the receivers. The buck stops with Urban, but esp Fickel

" Lot of times feels like they have been told to play off the receivers. The buck stops with Urban, but esp. Fickel."
Absolutely they were playing off the ball. Where is the aggressiveness of the defensive backs? I'm not talking about a few plays but the whole game. And not just this game but all season. We have to quit giving the receivers 5 - 10 yards on almost every passing play. How many times have we seen a receiver catch a ball and there is nobody within 5 - 10 yards of him? Also you tackle with your head up so the runner doesn't jump over you. Remember that one yesterday?
All in all that was the best _ichigan played ALL year by far. Thank goodness we won and hopefully we can fix what needs fixing including the other team running on the outside (esp. in the 1st half) and take the spartans apart.

heart attack..
anyone else?
Defense is really problematic. 600 yards.
Even if we play NC, can we stop FL STATE or AL? or another embarrassment.
not a good game. exciting game to watch if you are a football fan.. but not a good sign

Just aged about 45 years in a few hours. Damn that was intense! Although I don't like Hoke, it is hard not to respect that gutsy 2pt. conversion call with the game on the line.
24-0. I think it's time to open a bottle of Veuve Clicquot.
Go Buckeyes! Win it all!

The biggest mistake Urban did is keeping Fickle. I hope we see new def staff next year...I don't think this team deserve to go to the NC game with this Def....Urban!!!!! sometimes you have to be nasty and not listen to buck nation. Fickle is not a head coach for the def

love Fickle as a buckeye, but man... we need better coaching. You can't play like this most of the year and expect to be in top 2 or top 4 for playoff beyond this year...
i rather get back to silver bullet like Defense w/ innovative offense...
i think i need to go to hospital for some injection

He did it for the fan base that was endeared to him for taking one for the team when Tressel went down. His performance and his pay scale are not balanced. He is getting paid to be a top tier coordinator and the results are below average. I expect him to be coaching elsewhere next year or he will probably be demoted from play calling duties.

I don't understand how half of our fan base doesn't know how to spell our defensive coordinator's last name correctly. If you're calling for his firing, at least spell his damn name right.
It's spelled "Fickell."

Right now, I could give a crap less about a game in Jan.
Right now we just beat scUM, or survived, and I had to watch via e-mail updates and a twitter stream. I am pumped, and I advise you guys to soak up the moment and think about the other stuff tomorrow.

Guys, screw the BCS. Screw the polls. Screw the pundits. You just watched one of the greatest games in this storied rivalry!
If you can't enjoy this you need to see a therapist because you're messed up.

Agreed. I enjoyed it to the extent it was worth watching because we won. 2006 was a good game because we are #1 & #2 respectively, and played our hearts out. Ohio State is capable of more than what they did today. That said, I'll take that one point win dammit!

I don't want to be the "No Fun Police" here, but this really bothered me. Don't get me wrong, I completely understand his frustration. He probably wanted nothing more than to be playing in that game. And I have no problems with him cursing to no end on the sidelines, have at it. But flipping off the fans... come on. The fans didn't eject you, you got yourself ejected. Don't embarrass yourself in the process.

I don't condone it, but I'm not upset by the double bird. Heat of battle thing. Would have been nice if he just walked off, but you don't know what was being said to him as he was leaving to elicit his response. Sidelines aren't as roomy as Ohio Stadium.

I totally agree. He just showed that he was not mature enough to control his emotions. Had Elfien not stepped up admirably, he could have hurt his team. His behavior accomplished nothing, and it made him look foolish.

If you always put limits on everything you do, physical or anything else, it will spread into your work and into your life. There are no limits. There are only plateaus, and you must not stay there, you must go beyond them. ~ Bruce Lee

We did indeed blitz. We just used to have guys who could reach the QB with a three man rush, while our DBs used to be able to cover no matter what scheme.
It's still funny how folks blame this solely on coaching when we lack the overall talent on defense this year.

We didn't blitz really at all. Against a horrible pass blocking team that struggles with blitz pick up and a hobbled QB and a defense that hasn't played zone coverage effectively in two years with the best blitzing linebacker in the conference we rushed 3/4 and dropped 9/8 at least 85% of the time. And only blitzed on predictable downs like third and long which is why UM got a huge screen play at the end. Just utter failure of a coaching performance.

"You might as well appeal against a thunderstorm as against these terrible hardships of war. War is cruelty, there is no use trying to reform it; the crueler it is, the sooner it will be over." -William T., Battle of Atlanta, B1G.

Feel free to properly put the words into context. You know, me talking about how I love the site but the comments section is a tire fire. Which is generally true, hence why I participate at MGoBlog, OTE and Land Grant Holy Land way more than here, even if this site is far better content-wise than all those put together. You're adding to the disparity, fwiw.

"You might as well appeal against a thunderstorm as against these terrible hardships of war. War is cruelty, there is no use trying to reform it; the crueler it is, the sooner it will be over." -William T., Battle of Atlanta, B1G.

"You might as well appeal against a thunderstorm as against these terrible hardships of war. War is cruelty, there is no use trying to reform it; the crueler it is, the sooner it will be over." -William T., Battle of Atlanta, B1G.

The comment on MGo was about comments. This is 100% my issue. You're a moron. Jesus Christ, man. And I didn't expect anyone to stalk me on a completely different website and post it here because who would do that? Especially when they can read? Words?

"You might as well appeal against a thunderstorm as against these terrible hardships of war. War is cruelty, there is no use trying to reform it; the crueler it is, the sooner it will be over." -William T., Battle of Atlanta, B1G.

You didn't write anything specifically at MGO about comments, but just trashed 11w in general terms. There's nothing in the rest of the conversation suggesting that was your focus. Why would you expect anyone to read it that way?

The opposing QB always uses a hard count to get us to declare out blitzes. We have to do a better job of disguising our defense. Conversely, our offense needs to use this. Unfortunately I don't know how you would do that with a clap instead of a cadence.

Guys. We can complain all we want tomorrow. We just witnessed what is, without question, one of the most thrilling Ohio State/Michigan games of all time, and our boys got it done. Relish it. Bathe in it. Embrace it. It's pure ecstasy.

For a minute I thought I'd mistakenly logged onto an Alabama site with all the crying about a win, for God's sake.
We all knew our defense could be exploited. We weren't getting any pressure on Gardner and when we blitzed, our inability to defend passes to the flats was exposed. The Cali game was the blueprint on how to beat us and the Weasels studied up.
Let's celebrate a hard fought win and the defense rising to the occasion when they absolutely had to get a stop, instead about complaining like a bunch of spoiled brats.

The last 4 games have been blueprints to stopping um and we didn't learn anything. The blueprint was to rush 4 and blitz at least 1 or 2 on nearly EVERY play and play tight coverage. Eventually, the pressure would get to the um ol and Gardner. Thats why they have played ok in the first half of those games and then fell apart - they couldn't take the constant pressure. We would blitz occasionally and then do a three man rush for fear of giving up the big play. MSU might hang 40+ on our defense. I hope the offense can score a lot.

Now that I'm done jumping around like a wild man I need someone to come take me to the ER seriously lol I've been drinking Incredible Hulk without eating left over turkey and telling my wife she doesn't know what's best for me I drink all I want lol ... Oh the joy but now I'm seeing lights

World travel is my passion spreading the word and grace of Ohio in every corner of the world .

I have 2 boys 3 & 4 years old. Needless to say the wife had to take them to the store early in the 1st, they should not be hearing the words I was yelling. OSU did pull it out I am not sure I have ever seen so many missed tackles in a game not pee wee league. Some will say a win is a win if that was the case we would not waiting for bama or fsu to lose.

That was like waiting to be hanged, then the rope snaps, and you get to run away free.

"You might as well appeal against a thunderstorm as against these terrible hardships of war. War is cruelty, there is no use trying to reform it; the crueler it is, the sooner it will be over." -William T., Battle of Atlanta, B1G.

Can you imagine all those sick woverines.....selling their tickets cheap and missing out on the greatest Game ever. Nothing but hate and respect for their team though, ichigan came to play. Now I'm back to my heart attack.
OH

Relax everyone, Urban Meyer knows what he's doing. Do you not think that Urban is very disappointed with the defense? He's a perfectionist and he will make the necessary changes, whatever is best. He's 24-0 so far so I don't think anyone can bitch and moan too much. I have to catch myself sometimes because I find this defense very inept but I have to think with logic and reason and not allow my emotions to take over. Take a deep breath and savor the win. GO BUCKS!!!

if you haven't noticed, you DO have to have a good / great D along w/ offense to win the NC in most years. Not to mention in order to attain the rankings by voting members, a team has to be dominant on both sides (this is the way it is).
so 24-0 is impressive enough but we still need help in order to be in NC game because voters see us as nothing more than a great offense w/ mediocre defense, along w/ crappy schedule.
enjoy the win absolutely. it was a great football game in general. but does it give you confidence that we can play w/ anyone out there? NO. not unless we can score in the 50-60's
fire Fickel? not sure about that but he does not impress for sure. that's up to Meyer.
as a fan, i love that we beat Mich but easily we could have lost the game because of D couldn't stop them until the last 30 sec

I, too, was yelling at the shoddy D the whole game. Having said that, however, perspective should help calm some of the doomsday denizens on here. Yeah, scUM has sucked all year, but this is THE GAME! It was at their house; they actually had a great game plan in place offensively (something that hasn't happened much -- and I'm sure Hail & MMan are wondering "where the hell has THIS been all year?!"); we played tight, I thought, but we pretty much moved the ball at will... The D? Yeah, that leaves me scratching my head at times because it seems as though when we put pressure on the QB, we cause havoc.
Give scUM some credit, too (God I can't believe I'm saying this!) -- this is by far the best game I've seen them play this year. Their O-line actually looked like the 4* & 5* players they were billed as (hard to say why that happened this game -- we know our D-line is very, very good).
Someone said there are probably a multitude of reasons why The Game was as close as it was -- but it's f'ing delicious, isn't it?! To be so close, yet so far away... Maybe Borges keeps his job?? Wouldn't that be hilarious, too?!

IMO its a lot easier to get destroyed than it is to lose like that. So they're probably in a lot of pain right now. Good.

"You might as well appeal against a thunderstorm as against these terrible hardships of war. War is cruelty, there is no use trying to reform it; the crueler it is, the sooner it will be over." -William T., Battle of Atlanta, B1G.

Great post! TTUN fanbase is feeling good about their offensive showing and being competitive in a game that they thought wouldn't be as close as it was. In The Game, being 'competitive' is not a consolation prize; no points for losing a close one, and definitely no Championships.
O-H

Yeah I agree. Sometimes u have to give credit where credit is do even if it is to scUM. But this game could have been worse... We actually could've LOST but guess what ya'll ?we didn't! Enjoy it. I will say it seemed liked Borges coached to try to keep his job and fickell coached to try to lose his (not on purpose but u know what I'm getting at)

Thought it was gonna be one of these typical games where records don't matter as I posted earlier this week. I am confused as to what looked like the D stopped being aggressive when they went up two scores. It seems to me when the D is aggressive they look and do things better. Pass D is suspect with the wide open plays.
That being said it is always nice to beat scUM but flashbacks of the 90's a haunted me badly today. :-)
Go Bucks!

I know our coverage skills are bad, but how could UofM run the same throw-back screen three times, that CAL did twice -- both of them burning us for big yards every time.
It's like Luke Fickell watched no film.

Got burned because we over-pursued. So we were aggressive (which many on this list are complaining we need to blitz and be aggressive) but then get burned for being aggressive.
They can use constrain just like us. They called a smart game.
TBH, this is how I thought this game would be before the season started. Gardner and that offense have been severely underperforming.

Someone else is also using one that's cropped straight from the screen-cap.
I'll probably only keep it for a week or so but it perfectly illustrated my feelings towards the college football world right now.
Whether it's the idiot talking heads desperately trying to convince people that Auburn (who was dismantled by the worst LSU teams in recent memory)should jump Ohio State, the poor losers up north who are so desperate to belittle the Buckeyes that they're willing to throw their own team under the bus to do so, the thugs on said team who carried out a co-ordinated assault on Dontre Wilson, or the 'fans' of the Buckeyes who spend far more energy being miserable and whinging about the team's performance than enjoying it's success, all of them can take a flying leap.

I am watching the games from Korea (2 am start time here)... at a smoke filled PC salon using live stream. Now watching Auburn-AL game in the same room (630 am local now).
today better be the day that this is all worth it. (1/2 accomplished. 1/4 gone 3 more quarters to go and AU is up 7-0).
Go Bucks from Korea

It's not like anyone is disparaging Fickell on a personal level. He is a great Buckeye and native son of Buckeye Nation. Seemingly a fine an admirable person.
What people are criticizing is his coaching. This defense is an absolute dumpster fire. Read all the Twitter comments from former Buckeye players for their insight. I'm sure they aren't attacking him personally, either. He is not getting it done.

Having survived the games of the 80 and 90's, I am so happy to win any way we can. I would take a 2-0 score or a 100-99 score as long as it is a win over the skunks.
This was a sweet victory to me. They had the game right there and got their hearts ripped out. What a great way to put one on scum. Just awesome.
Now on to MSU.

I'll say this. Fickell, twice called the wrong defense, when Ichigan called a screen pass. That's all on coaching. The defense had the opportunity to end the game, up by two touchdowns, and Fickell decided to play a soft zone defense. Ichigan has been looking horrible, over the past five weeks. Your telling me, those other teams has better players than Ohio State? Their coaching, positions there players to be in the right spot.

Far from a good game I would say, other than the rushing offense. If they had played like they did against Iowa, it would have been a joke, but apparently they got up for the game. The most embarrassing bit was the fight and Hall's double digit salute. I understand the sentiment, but that was a complete lack of maturity from a senior that should know better and could have cost his team more than just an ejection of a starter. Wilson I have much less issue with, given that he had his helmet ripped off and was ganged up on by like 7 dudes.

Let's savor this win like we savor our Thanksgiving leftovers. There is a reason a majority of us are nervous before The Game. Let's give credit to ttun they used our pursuit speed against us. Was I frustrated with the defensive play calling? Absolutely! But don't let your frustrations get in the way of enjoying a win in AA

But isn't it nice to have a team that wins a game in spite of that? I think you'd be hard pressed to find many schools that beat their rival on the road while giving up 600 yards. Smile, my friend. M*ichigan fans can enjoy their moral victory while we enjoy the real victory. 24 straight.

Don't care don't care don't care how ugly it was, how shitty our defense played most of the game they stopped them when we needed them to and we came out of AA (whore) with a victory and that is worth its weight in gold! Dontre Wilson got surrounded by 8 shitheads and one sucker punched him - maylee ensues! Hall probably shouldn't have flipped everybody off but who am I to say what happened and how he felt!!!
Personally - I'm going to enjoy the victory and just say this - how many butt ugly wins did we have in 2002? Back then it was our offense that sucked and we got bailed out by our defense. Enough said!

The best thing about Pastafarianism? It is not only acceptable, but advisable, to be heavily sauced

I caught a quick shot on the sidelines today where Urban was letting Coombs have it. Everyone hollers about Fickell & this was a bad defensive performance for sure but Coombs coaches the DBs & that is where the most glaring problems are. Either way, I don't think anyone here can say that that Ttun didn't show up in a big way today. They played their hearts out. My hats off to them - this was a classic for sure - very thankful for the win!

"Do not pass me, just slow down - I can move right through you" Superchunk - Precision Auto.

Either way, I don't think anyone here can say that that Ttun didn't show up in a big way today. They played their hearts out. My hats off to them - this was a classic for sure - very thankful for the win!

Saw Coombs getting hollered at, too (commented above on it). It was during the time out, just before the final TD. Meyer is not happy with the secondary play. They are not picking up assignments, communicating, covering, and just plain tackling. Frankly, the tackling has been inconsistent all season. As others have said here, we managed to win despite the poor defensvie showing... and have 6 TDs, 600+ yards is definitely a poor showing.
Enjoy the victory tonight. Prep for MSU needs to start in the morning. It will be tougher to rely on the offense with MSU's defense.

It's not Luke. Please - learn he game before you comment. You have to give scUM credit - they called a great game until the 2-point decision.
Terrible call, even Ray Charles saw where that ball was going.
We need linebackers - Kwon - u listening?

We will not be ranked number 2, Missouri or someone else with some defense will be...We do not deserve to go to the Natty game; and I would not want to see our defense exposed and embarrassed if we were to go...

I was always taught growing up that you can throw out records, stats, ranking etc. when playing Ichigan... I still believe that today... On paper we should have won 100-0, and i wanted that so bad, but i am EXTREMELY HAPPY to get the "W" in AA against a previously underperforming, talented offense. Way to go Bucks!!! Keep rolling!!

I'm not quite sure what Coombs is teaching the defensive backs. They run to their zone, watch the QB ,and pay absolutely no attention to the receivers. There could be 3 defenders boxing in a receiver and they just stand there and watch the pass be completed. They literally have no awareness of what to do once they drop into their zone. The secondary just looks lost and they seem to make no effort to stop the pass.
As far as the linebackers, they have recruited pretty well and I can't understand why they are in such a bad position with depth. It is clear Grant struggles in coverage, so why have they not gotten Mitchell, who is extremely fast, up to speed for passing situations instead of red shirting him? I just don't see the talent developing. I understand that there are going to be misses in recruiting, but after two years they to barely be able to scrape together 3 starters.
I am often baffled by the formations that Fickle calls. Playing a 4-2-5 against the 2wr I-formation, and going to a 3-2-6 on 3rd and 5 against a QB that can scramble? Putting 1 corner and a safety against 3 Wr's stacked? I am sitting there watching and wondering what on earth is he thinking.
The defensive line has been the only squad that has performed with any consistency.

I'm fairly certain that everyone in here not trolling is excited about the win. However if you don't think that critiquing the D is warranted, WTF? If you're not trying to get better and expect to be better than you're complacent. Complacency = Iowa, Nebraska, Penn State. Go BUCKS! BEAT LITTLE BROTHER!
On a side note thanks Auburn!

Ichigan was the venomous snake hiding under the rock. We were the unsuspecting pioneer leading his horse on the trail. Nothing to worry about.... Never been bitten in a loooong time.... Then in the fourth quarter.....STRIKE!!! We get bit hard. Our confidence shaken... Fortunately a beautiful lady was there to suck the venom out so we could eke out our win... Then the snake slithered to Alabama and bit the Tide in the ass when it was too late to get help... Alabama could not do what The Ohio State University did today... And that was win!! Now we will be ranked 2 and CONTROL OUR OWN DESTINY!!! Shove it analysts! Shove it Mark May! We win and we are in, and there aint nuthin you can do about it. Suck it!

I'm new to this blog and must commend everybody for the surprising level of civility and restraint, even when there is disagreement. Just visited mgoblog and their commenters are like a pack of wild dogs in a feeding frenzy. You'd think that they who claim to be so superior and well-educated could better handle disagreements amongst themselves. Class shows.
Great game today! Great win! Go Bucks!

I heard someone say that Hoke asked the Seniors and they elected to go for 2. It's his job to make that decision and should have opted to give his team a chance in OT. I can thank him for saving me the heart attack. Seniors making critical decisions, he doesn't wear a headset and have input on plays. What the fuck does he do, anyway?

we complain about our defense... fair enough. but wouldnt we all agree Mattison is (or at least was) a great defensive coach? he did win it all with Meyer after all so you would think that even gives him the edge in terms of scheming VS the Bucks.
That being said, the Buckeyes knew they could run at will against them. Hyde ran for more yards than any other back in the rivalry's history?! are you kidding me?! Miller almost did too!! So what I'm saying is, they knew what was coming and couldn't stop it even with a good coach. they have some personnel deficiencies.
We were actually a bit surprised by their scheme and, ok, couldn't stop them either. But I really doubt if they want to hang it all on their D coach (who is the highest paid defensive coach in the B1G iir).
Every week is a new week. Penn State beat up Wisconsin for goodness sake!
I for one am going to bask in this run of good fortune that has come our way as Buckeye fans and enjoy the stars aligning. Those of you who prefer angst or worrying about things you have no control over... be my guest. But please try to keep it down the kids are sleeping

None can love freedom heartily, but good men; the rest love not freedom, but license. ~ John Milton

No question, the Buckeyes D played poorly today. But now that I've got a little distance from it - after watching all the craziness today - I'm thinking it was just one of those rivalry days. Gardner and TTUN's OL played out of their minds. If I didn't know any better, I might think that Borges had seemingly tanked their previous 4 or 5 games with the idea that he'd retain all of his best concepts for this game.
Let's see how the defense bounces back against MSU.

Poor tackling allowed an elusive QB to make big plays. How many times did we almost have Gardner? THAT is a much bigger problem than scheme.
Hyde does not fumble on that drive we win by 2 TDs. Even after that I cant fault him because he was carrying 8 blue jersies on his back on that play and still almost got the first down.
All is not lost. Even if we lose at some point all is not lost. We have Urban Meyer and some really, really young talented players that all became men today.
I really feel sorry for those who cannot enjoy what happened today and what's happened since Meyer took over. Guess what? It's 1:06 am and I am sure as hell enjoying it (and TTUN still sucks)

"Sherman ran an option play right through the south" - Greatest Civil War analogy EVER.

One of the most intense games I've ever watched. Had me on edge the whole time and was not in the least what I was expecting. Congrats to our team, Coach Meyer and especially the seniors. That said, I'm not gonna say "Fire Fickel" But I will say that I don't believe we win a NC with this defense. Of course, there is a way to remedy that i.e. ........